Only in the Movies
by Rusty Bedsprings
Summary: Prequel to You Belong to Me. Lorelai decides to take the job offered by Mike Armstrong. This fiction mostly from Luke's POV leading up to her departure.


**DISCLAIMER: Read it and weep…or not…whatever! I do NOT own Gilmore Girls or any character or any line that I may duplicate in this story. I however would love to…If I had the money to buy the WB and Amy Sherman Palladino as my playthings…Oh…don't forget Scott as well…I'd have to own him. But right now…I don't! **

**Now that I'm over that I'd like to take the time and say "hello". It's been awhile hasn't it? Over a month since I've written anything. Yeah…sorry about that. Just finished finals for school. Now that I'm done and a 4.0 student…takes bow, I give you my newest one shot. It's a prequel to "You Belong to Me". So, enjoy! **

**P.S. The song is by David Mead from his "Mine and Yours" album…buy it. The man is amazing.**

"**Only in the Movies"**

When she told him she was "mulling" he was mad. Angry. Outraged. She had not even mentioned the interview and by the time he had found out that she was actually _considering_ leaving, selling her inn and traveling the world, cutting the strings that were trying her down in Stars Hollow and finding freedom for the first time in her entire existence, it was too late to convince her to do otherwise.

What did she have for her in the sleepy town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut? She and Rory were at odds. She wasn't committed to him. They weren't married or even living together. She had no true family. No loving mother or father that would beg her to stay or she would be saddened to leave. And here it was. The opportunity. The world handed to her, at her disposal at anytime. And she was "mulling" the idea of acceptance.

_Pack all your things up, don't get upset. Soon you should leave 'cause sooner you'll forget._

He helped her pack. Her closet was almost full when they finished. Odd he thought. But she had left almost all of her shirts and jeans and was left with a suitcase full of black and grey suits and skirts. She wanted to be as professional as possible. And when they had finished she gave him a reassuring smile, her lips full, her eyes small, and leaned into kiss him. He felt it. Felt the desperation in her kiss, her neediness. He felt her holding on to something she couldn't let go of but that she knew she had to. And somewhere inside he hated her. And somewhere inside he pitied her. And somewhere inside he felt a crack splitting his heart.

They were in bed, warm, naked, cuddled close. But they felt the distance already forming between them. They weren't on the same page anymore. They were in different chapters hoping that the conclusion would circle back to the beginning.

Unsure and shy, Lorelai got out of bed and dressed quickly before slipping back between the covers next to Luke. And that's when he was convinced…she was already gone.

_Was it a dream or maybe a mess? Give you a pinch and take a wild guess._

He barely slept. He kept expecting her to take off without a proper goodbye. Just like she had done with her parents, with Max…with her childhood. He rolled out of bed desperately trying not to rouse her from her slumber, as the clock burned his pupils with a crimson red: 4AM.

_You could be mistaken, lost in how it ends._

The tiny TV clicked on and flooded the storage room with a piercing blue light, as he sat on a box filled with coffee grounds. The irony wasn't lost on him. He found a movie was on. One he hadn't seen in years. A man and a women meet, fall in love, grow apart, but end up together. He hoped and prayed at that moment…that his life was a movie.

'_Cause only in the movies things make sense._

His life wasn't a movie. He wasn't the flawless hero saving his damsel. He was a man letting go of his dream, never knowing whether the pain would ever subside, ever fade.

_Let every stupid story take away your doubts. 'Cause only in the movies things work out._

He felt himself become colder and smaller. He was either going to freeze to death or shrink into the thin air surrounding him. It didn't matter…she was leaving.

_God and all his angels must be surprised. At every little promise that turns into a lie._

"I'm in. I'm all in. Let me show you what a great girlfriend I can be. But we can't wait. I can't wait."

No, she couldn't wait. So she pulled out, putting as much space between them as possible. A star, a planet, a universe.

_If she were a picture framed in golden wood, Could you really miss her? Would you?_

And on the plane she went…after she had kissed him goodbye. She cried. He smiled. He never let someone leaving him take away his pride. His _life._

Now all he has is pictures. Memories. Frivolous phone calls. Empty "I love yous". A slowly cracking, near shattered heart.

_Still life and memories waltz out the door. Is there relief in wanting what was yours?_

He can see her smiling, giving him a wink as she walks out the diner door clutching her coffee as close to her as possible. He loves her for this, for everything. But now she is just a dream. Only customers walk in and out of his door. And he lives his life in slow motion…

_No friend or doctor knows what to say. Blind to forever standing in the way._

Taylor stays out of his way. Kirk tries to help. Patty gives him looks of apology. The town takes his side. Everything is blue. And he yearns for them to change it all to pink.

_You could be mistaken, lost in how it ends. 'Cause only in the movies things make sense._

Now every time he hears her voice, or her name, or he spots a woman with raven curls, or he pours a cup of coffee, or he notices a yellow daisy, he can see her face. Then his blood runs cold and his eyes begin to burn, and he feels the pain dig into his chest, like a nail being drilled into the wall.

_Let every stupid story take away your doubts. 'Cause only in the movies things work out._

Her voice is different. She does not joke, she does not tease. And he hates. And he fumes. And he listens because of the hope he continues to carry. Like the torch he held for her since he could remember. Like the horoscope he kept in his wallet. Like the shoulders he has held back for so long.

He wants her to be his, and to have his ending, his middle. He wants her. Even if it does not make sense.

Every day, he wishes he could rewind, fast forward, press pause, rewrite, revise, stop, play, make her some popcorn, and just watch how it ends. It is a shame his life is not a movie, but he can still hope that one day, things work out.


End file.
